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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rash · kid · jam · drill · wax · leaves · kick · scale

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — in football
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. rash — hasty
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. rash — a series
  12. drill — army training
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. scale — size or range
  15. kid — child
  16. wax — to grow
  17. kid — to tease
  18. drill — the tool
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. drill — a practice
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. scale — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com